Editing Islam in Bahrain (section)

==History==
{{See also|Shia in Bahrain}}
[[File:Khamis Mosque 1956.jpg|thumb|The [[Khamis Mosque]] in 1956.]]
Prior to Islam, the inhabitants of [[Qatar]] and Bahrain practiced Arabian paganism. In 628 AD  Muhammad sent his first envoy [[Al-Ala'a Al-Hadrami]] to [[Munzir ibn Sawa Al Tamimi]], ruler of the [[Bahrain (historical region)|historical region of Bahrain]], which extended from the coast from [[Kuwait]] to the south of Qatar including [[Al-Ahsa Oasis|Al-Hasa]], [[Qatif]], and the Bahrain Islands, to engage in [[da'wah]] and spread the teachings of Islam.<ref>Arnold, Thomas. The Preaching of Islam: A History of the Propagation of the Muslim Faith, 2nd ed., London: Constable, 1913</ref> Munzir subsequently converted to Islam as did many  of his  subjects.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.diwan.gov.qa/english/qatar/Qatar_History.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080122071350/http://www.diwan.gov.qa/english/qatar/Qatar_History.htm|title=History of Qatar|publisher=Amiri Diwan|archive-date=22 January 2008}}</ref>

The origins of [[Shia Islam]] in Bahrain can be traced back to 656–661 AD, the caliphate reign of [[Ali ibn Abi Talib]]. The Islamic prophet [[Muhammad]] appointed Aban Ibn Sa'id Al As ({{langx|ar|أبان ابن سعيد العاص}}) as governor of Bahrain during his lifetime. Aban was a major supporter of Ali's right to the caliphate, a position that was endorsed by the inhabitants of Bahrain including the influential Bani [[Abdul Qays]] tribe.<ref name="Tajir">{{cite book |last1=Al-Tajir |first1=Mahdi |title=Language & Linguistic In Bahrain |date=2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781136136269 |pages=33–4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=euezAAAAQBAJ&pg=PR4 |access-date=30 October 2019 |language=en}}</ref> The [[Khamis Mosque]] is believed to be the oldest mosque in Bahrain, with its origin dating back to the reign of Caliph [[Umar II]].

[[File:Muhammad Bahrain letter facsimile.png|thumb|right|300px|The letter sent by [[Muhammad]] to [[Munzir ibn Sawa Al Tamimi]], the governor of Bahrain at the time.]]

The [[Ismaili]] [[Shia]] sect known at the [[Qarmatians]] seized Bahrain in 899 AD, making it their stronghold and base of operations. They [[Qarmatian invasion of Iraq|raided Iraq]] and in 930 [[Sack of Mecca|sacked Mecca]], desecrating the [[Zamzam Well]] with the bodies of [[Hajj]] pilgrims and taking the [[Black Stone]] with them back to Bahrain where it remained for twenty years. The Qarmatians were eventually defeated by the [[Abbasids]] in 976 and afterwards their power waned.

The defeat of the Qarmatian state saw the gradual wane of their revolutionary brand of Ismaili Islam. Instead, under a process encouraged by Sunni rulers over the next four hundred years, Twelver Shia Islam became entrenched. According to historian [[Juan Cole]], Sunnis favoured the quietist [[Twelver]] branch of Shi'ism over the Qarmatians and promoted its development in Bahrain.<ref>Juan Cole, Sacred Space and Holy War, IB Tauris, 2007 pp32</ref> In the 13th century, there arose what was termed the 'Bahrain School', which integrated themes of philosophy and mysticism into orthodox Twelver practise. The school produced the theologians Sheikh Kamal al-Din Ibn Sa’adah al Bahrani (d. 1242), Sheikh Jamal al-Din ‘Ali  ---
ibn Sulayman al-Bahrani (d. 1271), and Sheikh [[Maitham Al Bahrani]] (d. 1280).<ref>Ali Al Oraibi, Rationalism in the school of Bahrain: a historical perspective, in Shīʻite Heritage: Essays on Classical and Modern Traditions by Lynda Clarke, Global Academic Publishing 2001, p. 331</ref>